This past year has been a reminder of the importance of the care package, even if it’s just a note that says “hello.” I love to send cards, though I don’t do it as often as I should. When sending a card I want it to be special.

During college a friend taught me how to make cards with scraps of paper from the fibers studio. I found this to be a creative outlet as well as justification for my piles of scrap paper and collections of interesting paper. I still make these cards and use them for just about everything. I love sending a tiny piece of art with a thank you or birthday or just because note.

Here is a peek behind the scenes of my process:

Not pictured here is the absolute first step, making the paper! This is something I don’t do very often, it takes over my life and my house for a few days so I tend to make a ridiculous amount of paper all at once. These sheets of abaca (from the banana tree family) are a creamy ivory color and the perfect canvas for each collage.

Each piece of paper will produce 2 cards, so I cut the sheets down to make an A4 card.

Now things start to get fun! My paper bins consist of interesting scraps, handmade papers, discarded prints, and sometimes patterns from shopping bags or scraps of fabric. This also takes over and I have to contain it to one room so the door can be closed and studio cat Merlin cannot interfere.

I cut and tear the paper to make interesting collages all the while thinking about the next step.

This is the main use of my sewing machine. Instead of gluing, the paper is sewn into place. An additional texture and line is created, sometimes the pop of color from a contrasting thread is what makes the whole collage.

One more step to make the card feel more finished. I try to find recycled paper for the inside. Currently I’m working my way through an old box of resume paper since these things are rarely printed out anymore. I cut the paper to size and hand stitch it into place. No card is ever alike, even if the papers are the same.

More often than you might think, I’m told that no one wants to purchase a blank card. I agree, sometimes it is hard to know what to say, but I do love the versatility of a blank card. A simple “hello” or “happy day” or a silly note, complete with my grammatical errors and lots of PS’s because there’s always something I’m forgetting.

So with the “no one will buy a blank card” philosophy in mind, I started making cards from my line drawings. These are for those in-between sentiments, and I hope can bring about a smile or laugh.